SCRIPTURAL PROOFS OF THE NATURE OF JESUS CHRIST AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

JESUS CHRIST IS GOD

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  1. Divine attributes ascribed to the Lord Jesus Christ

      2. The ascription of the attributes of God to Christ also proves that he is truly God.
       

    1. He is eternal (Micah 5:2; Revelation 1:8,11-13).
    2. He is unchangeable (Hebrews 13:8).
    3. He is infinite (John 8:58, where "I am" describes absolute being).
    4. He has life in Himself--aseity* (John 5:26).
    5. Other divine properties are ascribed to Him: wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:24, 30; John 21:17); power (1 Corinthians 1:24; Matthew 28:18; John 5:19); holiness (Luke 1:35; Mark 1:24; Acts 3:14); justice (Acts 3:14); goodness (John 10:32; Mark 7:37); truth (John 14:6). These are the attributes of God. They can be ascribed to Christ only because he is truly God.
  2. Divine works ascribed to the Lord Jesus Christ
    1. Creation (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16, 17; Hebrews 1:2, 10).
    2. Preservation (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:17).
    3. Miracles were performed by Him (John 5:3 6), and by His apostles in His name (Acts 3:16). And the source of this power was m Himself (Luke 6:19; 8:46).
    4. Salvation in all its parts is ascribed to Christ:
      1. Redemption (Acts 20:28);
      2. Election (John 13:18; 15:16);
      3. Effectual calling (John 10:16);
      4. Sanctification (Ephesians 5:2 6);
      5. Sending the Spirit (John 15:26; 16:7);
      6. Power to bestow eternal life (John 10:28);
      7. Resurrection of the body (John 5:21);
      8. Judgment (John 5:22; Acts 17:3 1).


      The consistent testimony of the word of God is "Salvation is of Jehovah" (Jonah 2:9). By ascribing it in all its parts to the Lord Jesus, the New Testament Scriptures bear witness to His deity.
       

  3. Religious worship rendered to Christ

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    Worship is due to God alone. Scripture commands it to be given to Christ (Hebrews 1:6). Therefore according to Scripture Christ is truly God.
     

    1. Faith is an act of religious worship directed to Christ (John 14:1; Acts 10:21; Psalm 2:12; compare Jeremiah 17:5).
    2. Adoration is commanded to be given to Christ (Hebrews 1:6; John 5:2 3; Philippians 2:9, 10).
    3. Prayer is directed to Him (1 Corinthians 1:2; Acts 7:59).


    Any one of these four lines of proof would suffice to show from Scripture that Jesus Christ is truly God. Together they form an unanswerable argument against every gainsayer and provoke every humble believer to cry out with Peter, "To him be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:11).

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THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD

The Holy Spirit is an eternal, essential Trinitarian person, a personal subsistence in the divine essence. He exists eternally in perfect union with the Father and the Son. He is commonly referred to as the "third Person of the Trinity."* This description arises out of mans attempt at a logical understanding of the mystery of the Trinity. It is acceptable as long as we remember that it does not infer any inferiority, subordination, or posteriority.

Our study of the Holy Spirit falls under four heads: first, His personality; second, His deity; third, His work; and finally, His (illness in the life of the believer.

  1. The personality of the Holy Spirit.

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    The Holy Spirit is a divine person. He is not a mere influence, as Socianism* teaches. Nor is he an official title, or mode of operation, adopted by God in His dealings with His creatures, as Sabellianism* teaches.

    Scriptural Proofs of the Spirits Personality
     

    1. The Lord Jesus Christ speaks of the Holy Spirit as a person (John 15:2 6, 27; 16:7).
    2. The Bible ascribes personal attributes to Him.
      1. He speaks (Mark 13:11; Acts 13:2; I Tim. 4:1; Revelation 2:7).
      2. He instructs (Nehemiah 9:20; John 14:2 6).
      3. He bears witness (Acts 5:32; Romans 8:16).
      4. He searches and knows (1 Corinthians 2:10, 11).
      5. He quickens or gives spiritual life (John 6:63).
      6. He intercedes (Romans 8:26).
      7. He sends forth (Acts 13:4).
      8. He appoints overseers in the church (Acts 20:28).
      9. He can be vexed (Isaiah 63:10); grieved (Ephesians 4:30).


    These are attributes of a person, and are sufficient proof of the personality of the Holy Spirit.
     

  3. The deity of the Holy Spirit
    1. Scripture calls Him God (2 Corinthians 3:17; Acts 5:3, 4).
    2. It ascribes divine attributes to Him.
      1. He is eternal (Hebrews 9:14)
      2. He is omnipresent (Psalm 13 9:7, "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?").
      3. He is omniscient and all wise (1 Corinthians. 2:10).
      4. He is omnipotent (Zechariah. 4:6; Romans 8:11; 15:19)
      5. He is holy, and according to Isaiah 57:15 that is the definitive attribute of God.
      6. He is just and righteous (Isaiah 59:17-19)
      7. He is good (Nehemiah 9:20 with Mark 10:18).
      8. He is true (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13).
      9. He is sovereign (Psalm 51:12; John 3:8).
    3. It ascribes divine acts to Him.
      1. Creation (Genesis. 1:2).
      2. The resurrection of Christ (Romans 8:11; 1 Peter 3:18).
      3. Regeneration (John 6:63).
      4. Inspiration of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16 with 2 Peter 1:10-11, 21).
    4. Scripture uses of the name of the Spirit along with that of the Father and the Son in such a way as to prove His proper deity (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
    5. Scriptures definition of the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, and its consequences, proves the Deity of the Spirit (Matthew 12:31, 32).
  4. The work of the Holy Spirit
    1. He convinces men of sin (John. 16:8; Acts 2:37).
    2. He regenerates, or quickens (John 3:5, 8). Regeneration, or the new birth, is the "sole and special work of the Holy Spirit" (Octavius Winslow).
    3. He incorporates everyone whom he regenerates into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians. 12:13).
    4. He indwells all believers (John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 2:22).
      1. He thus bears witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God (Romans. 8:16).
      2. He proves our adoption as the sons of God (Galatians 4:6).
      3. The indwelling Spirit is the pledge of our entrance into heaven (Ephesians 1:14).
      4. He teaches us and guides us into all truth (John 14:26).
    5. He seals every believer for glory (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30). To seal means to put a stamp or impress upon. It denotes ownership, approval, or a shutting up to a particular purpose (cf. Matthew 27:66).
    6. He is the author of sanctification (2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2).
    7. He is the author of prayer in the believer (Romans 8:26; Ephesians 6:18; Jude 20; cf. Zechariah 12:10).
    8. He is the Comforter, or paraclete (John. 14:16; 15:26; 16:7). Paraclete comes from the Greek para, "beside," and kaleo, "to call." It signifies that the Holy Spirit is called to our side as our advocate and our helper, the vicar of Christ on earth, supplying to us what the Lord was to His disciples in the days of His earthly ministry, as the words "another [i.e., another of the same sort] Comforter" show.
    9. He leads believers to see what God has freely provided for them in Christ (1 Corinthians 2:9-12).
    10. His supreme work is to reveal and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:14; 15:2 6).


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